1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process of decorating articles which have a transparent portion whose compositional material is sensitive to heat, and more particularly, to a process of decorating a ski which is substantially transparent at its sole. Further, the present invention relates to articles produced by such process.
2. Reference to Related Applications
This application contains related subject matter to that disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 07/249,771 filed on Sept. 26, 1988.
3. Discussion of Background and Relevant Information
While the description which follows specifically relates to the decoration of a sole of a ski, this description is only a nonlimiting example of the process according to the invention. It is evident that the process of decorating according to the invention could be utilized to decorate any product which has similar technical constraints as the sole of a ski. Specifically, in the case of decorating skis, the technical constraints are due to the fact that the substantially transparent sole is generally composed of polyethylene. The problem with polyethylene is that it is sensitive to heat whereby its structure does not adequately resist temperatures above approximately 150.degree. C. Consequently, the decoration of such objects with a sublimable ink transfer printing process directly onto the front surface of the material is inadvisable because, at a temperature of 150.degree. C., the migration of the inks into the support occurs in an imperfect fashion. In this regard, diffusion of the decoration and presence of coloring agents occurs in a zone that is too close to the exterior surface of the object being decorated. In such a situation, the decorative design formed by the coloring agents is very quickly altered due to its vulnerability to exterior agents which attack the exterior surface. This nonsatisfactory method of printing by sublimation onto the exterior surface of a transparent layer, associated with a layer of contrast material to highlight the decorative design, is described in French Patent 2,387,793.
These disadvantages associated with transfer by sublimation have led to the utilization of silk screen lo printing for the decoration of transparent polyethylene ski soles. This silk screen printing process utilizes a silk support for each color. The design is defined by the zones of the silk support where the pores of the silk have not been obstructed by chemical attack. This process has a number of disadvantages, which disadvantages include the substantial financial costs attributed to the loss of ink; the substantial number of printing rejects; the number of screens necessary for a design composed of several colors; and the relatively long time for printing. Furthermore, variations in esthetic possibilities are substantially limited with silk screen printing.